Sunday, January 24, 2010

yes, I've been given the gift of "gab" since my earliest years of life!! I could seriously talk to a wall if I had to, and I'd have a rather NICE conversation!! :) Anyways....this week was a fabulous week in the ADOPTION WORLD of GAB!! I don't have any good pics to prove it...but you can visit some of these other blogs to SEE that I made it around to quite a few COOL things this week:

Tuesday was the monthly Ordinary Hero meeting!!! I love what my sister is doing with her non-profit, and I love attending her monthly meetings to be UP on WHAT her latest adventure is!! She has had some good info on Haitian Adoptions lately too, if interested: http://www.ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com/

Thursdaywas the African Fellowship Group monthly get-together at Tracy's house!! I so LOVE getting together and chatting with people that share the same passion as I do!! And, there is nothing better than watching LL play with her buddy Maggie....They are just a few weeks apart in age and they came home one month apart from each other!!! And, they'll go to kindergarten at the same school THE SAME YEAR!! Isn't that just cool!! FYI: Tracy M. is the friend who inspired us to adopt (see her video at the bottom of my page) AND, they recently passed court for 4 more children from Ethiopia!!! That's right...They have just adopted a sibling group of 4 and will be traveling in February!! So...stay tuned for that airport homecoming!!

Saturday I attended my friend Cris's baby shower for her two boys she is getting ready to travel to get!! She used AGCI and has already passed court for two precious little brothers!! It all went very fast for them and it was so much fun celebrating with her!! I can' t wait for her airport homecoming!!!

Then, today,Sunday...I did what I LOVE most!!! I got to talk at our church AGAIN and share our journey of faith and adoption!! We are attempting to hit up every Sunday school class at our church...and we're busy on Sundays doing just that!! It is too funny HOW much I enjoy sharing my story and love for Ethiopia with people!! I have several partners that share their adoption stories too!! It is just so much fun!!! So.....If you are in the Nashville area and would like our little group of adoption mommas to speak to your church, women's group, Sunday school class, etc....let us know and we'll show up :) (armed with my video in hand, too :)

****My hubby and I have been busy at night reading "CRAZY LOVE" by Francis Chan....It has been great for us to read something like this and grow spiritually together...Next is the "HOLE IN THE GOSPEL" book everyone is raving about!!! All I know is...I want to keep using my voice...keep spreading the word of how wonderful adoption can be...and keep making people aware of the orphan crisis going on in this world!! I don't want to be a "luke-warm" Christian as the book CRAZY LOVE puts it!! I want to do MORE!!! I CAN do more!!! Until I figure out what the "more" is...I'm going to just keep USING MY VOICE!!! Cause that comes easily!!! :)

***Have fun clicking around....Happy Sunday to you all!!! kjps....I almost forgot....one year ago today...I had THIS at my house!!! YUCK!!! My biggest girl, Helen, had her 7th bday JUNGLE party at home on this day last year....(And, yes...i can't believe she is almost 8...oh, hurt me :) ....

I love WHAT I wrote on this day one year ago...We were sitting at the #1 spot with our agency and dying for our referral...Oh, how a year changes so much:

"And, here we all are!! The J Family after successfully surviving another b-day party and clean up!! What fun it was and how blessed I am!! I am truly appreciative and humbled by this life I lead!! I couldn't love these four little people I have been given and my hubby any more than I do!! They truly make my life so happy.....now I just need Lucy Lane to make it all complete :)"

Yes! Keep using your voice and spreading the word. So many families and so thankful you have been faithful to that.and, my husband and I really liked the Crazy Love book and now we're reading The Hole in the Gospel. It's blowing me away.

oh you will LOVE "Crazy Love" God used that book to really open my eyes up, challenge me and grow me so much! I am wanting to read hole in the gospel soon too after we get done with all our adoption training reading!

I have been following your blog since I first saw your video several months ago. I just got my own blog up and going as we are approaching the adoption process. We have 7 kids already and have to wait until spring when our baby will be 6 months old to apply. Please visit my blog and read the 2nd post from a couple weeks ago. I explain that the two books that opened my eyes and totally wreaked my heart was, Hole and Crazy Love. BTW, your video is the latest post on my blog and I can't even tell you how many people's hearts are being stirred by watching it.Thanks for sharing

I think it is great that you are recognizing your talents and using them in such a positive way! I loved reading the last paragraph from your post from a year ago. It made me so hopeful that a year from now I will have my Ethiopian baby in my arms and will wonder what life was ever like without him/her.

Hey Kristi,If you get this twice....I'm sorry. Computer issues this morning. Anyway..I have been following your story since I first saw your video several months ago. Ironically, I reade Hole in our Gospel and then my daughter and I read Crazy Love and those were the two books that wrecked our hearts and we new God was calling us to something great. I would love for you to check out my blog at ourlives-bice.blogspot.com to see more of my story. BTW, I posted your video a few days ago and cant tell you how many people's hearts have been stirred by watching. Looking forward to seeing what God has in store for you.

Crazy Love and The Hole in Our Gospel are the 2 best books I have ever read! So happy to see your blog back up and in the works! You are changing so many lives through it! I just had a friend call me the other day to tell me that they are adopting from Ethiopia and they are going with AGCI and was so excited about this video she saw! I asked her if it was Lucy Lane's and she's couldn't believe I knew what one she was talking about! She's just starting out and once again...your story has inspired someone else and given them such a peace! Oh...the days are so long...we're a year into the wait and our referral day can't come soon enough! We're thinking it'll be July before we hear anything! Enjoy the rest of Crazy Love....and thanks for coming back! :) -Kristin

I am hearing the MORE part as well...loud and clear! I am still learning what that means. My Dear and I are both taking international mission trips this year-2 different places... I am looking forward to what God is going to do with our messy hearts!

Our Agency for Adoption #2, Celebrate Children Int. (CCI)

Our Adoption Agency, AGCI, for Lucy Lane

How Old Are My 6 Kiddos??

About Me

I'm a blessed Momma of 6 that's out to share our adoption experience and to encourage others to CARE FOR THE ORPHANS of our world!!
"...once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act."(Proverbs 24:12)

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Our Adoption Time Line!!

June 19th, 2009- We'll be arriving back home with Lucy Lane in our arms...Super yeah!!!
June 13th, 2009 - We'll be flying out to get our baby girl..yeah!!!
May 26th, 2009 - Received call that WE PASSED COURT..she's ours!!
April 20th, 2009 - Received NEW COURT DATE for May 25th.
March 30th, 2009- Received re-referral for Baby "M".
March 10th, 2009 - Julie, our caseworker, calls and delivers the sad news: We lost our referral. Baby Kalkidan's birth mother came back for her.
March 6th, 2009 - Julie calls and gives us court date of May 13th.
February 16th, 2009 - AGCI receives referral packet at 10 am.
February 13th, 2009 - Finish all paperwork and over night referral packet back to AGCI.
February 12th, 2009 - Receive packet and start small paper chase.
February 11th, 2009 - AGCI overnights referral packet to us.
February 10, 2009 - Received "the call" our referral came for our precious 9 month old baby girl. Yeah!!!
February 5th, 2009- Received email stating we're #2 on the wait list...Which meant we were really #1!
January 6th, 2009 - Received call that we're officially #6 on wait list, but really #3.
December 5th, 2008 - Received call that we're officially #9 but really #6 on the wait list!!
November 7th, 2008 - Received email that we're #13 on the wait list.
October 8th, 2008 - Received email that we're #19 on the wait list.
September 4th, 2008 - Received call that we're #23 on the wait list.
July 25th, 2008 - Received notice that we're #27 on the wait list!!
July 22nd, 2008 - Mailed off our Dossier!!! Yeah!!!
July 12th, 2008 - received final completed copy of homestudy
June 18th, 2008 - Fingerprints were taken.
June 17th, 2008 - received dossier packet
May 29th, 2008 - Phone Conference with AGCI (our adoption agency)
May 27th, 2008 - Had final Home Study where Julie walked through our home and met all our kids.
May 13th, 2008- Had 2nd Home Study appt. with Julie B. and scheduled final meeting at our home.
April 22nd, 2008 - Had first Home Study Appt. with Julie B., our homestudy person.
April 14th, 2008 - We mail application to All God's Children International for an adoption from Ethiopia.
April 2008 - We decide to adopt from Ethiopia.
March 18th, 2008 - My sisters and I have lunch with Tracy and her family and ask lots of ethiopian adoption questions
February 29th, 2008- I email Tracy M. from the Utube video and ask to meet her and Levi sometime.
February 26th, 2008 - Nicole G. sends me Utube Video about local adoption